Juniors show prowess

2011/06/25

S. Sivasangari won the Under-13 title at the Asian Junior Championships in Amman, Jordan yesterday.

MALAYSIA dominated the lower age-group categories of the Asian Junior Squash Championships after the national juniors won three titles in Amman, Jordan yesterday.
Two of those titles came in all-Malaysian finals as a promising batch of youngsters underlined their ability to dominate the Asian junior scene in the years to come.

S. Sivasangari and Andrea Lee, the top two seeds in the Girls' Under-13 event, were the first to take to the court with the former edging a close contest to win 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10 in a repeat of the outcome at the Milo All Stars Junior Open Under-13 final earlier this month.


It was Kedah-born Sivasangari's third international title this year, having also won the Penang International Junior Open Under-13 event besides two Under-15 titles on the CIMB National Junior Circuit where she beat Andrea on both occasions in the finals.

Farez Izwan Mukhtar carried his fine form from the Milo All Stars where he won the Boys' Under-13 to beat Mohammad Alsarraj of Jordan 14-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 for Malaysia's second title of the championships.

The run came to a halt in the next final when second seed Jadeleen Lee could not prevent the Girls' Under-15 title from going to top seed Choi Uen Shan of Hong Kong, who rallied from a game down to win 10-12, 15-13, 11-6, 11-6.


The icing on the cake was provided by Syafiq Kamal, who stunned teammate and British Junior Open Under-13 champion Ng Eain Yow 11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 15-13 in the Boys' Under-15 final.

Malaysia were unrepresented in the finals of the Under-17 and Under-19 categories following the semi-final exits of Yong Sue Ann and Tan Yan Xin on Friday.

Sue Ann, who earlier knocked out the second seed in the Girls' Under-17 quarter-finals, lost 11-3, 11-9, 11-2 to India's Saumya Karki while Girls' Under-19 second seed Yan Xin was ousted by India's Anaka Alankamony.



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